Camcorders: what is the best camera for filming in night clubs?!
what is the best camera for filming in night clubs?!
by Jersey CI Girl - 10/22/09 5:44 PMhelp please! ok i have been researching this for months and i am still no closer to an answer.
i would like to spend under £3000 but if the best i can get is over this price please put it down anyway.
i have written down all of the jargon about gain and exposer, i know the bigger the lens the more light it receives ect but i am just putting down the bare essentials here because if im honest i still do not understand it all i just need someone who knows what they are talking about to give me a camera name.
i need a semi professional cam that is light weight so that i can maneuver around in a busy club.
it needs ports for boom and shotgun mics for interviews.
it needs to be able to cope with the continually changing lights in a night club.
i like the idea of keeping the dv tape because ill have a physical archive, not sure about the hd dv tapes if they are worth it?
is it going to connect to a mac with no problems?
will its files be recognized on final cut and premier pro?
it is for pro mo work of which i have been offered quite a few because post production i am fine i know what i am doing, but actually finding a camera that the majority of people agree on is the best for this environment is near impossible.
here is the list i have so far
sony xdcam
sony vx2100
sony ex1
sony HDR FX1000
sony HVR-Z5
sony hvr z7e
cannon XL2
cannon CHA1
canon xha1
jvc GY-Hd100
panasonic agd-vc7
panasonic hd-900f
panasonic hmc150 hd
panasonic pv-dv53
panasonic gh1
please someone help me shorten this list! im loosing the plot now.
Thank you for
by boya84 - 10/30/09 8:07 PM In reply to: what is the best camera for filming in night clubs?! by Jersey CI Girlhaving a healthy budget and doing research. Your list is good... I hope the mic budget is a different bucket.
Before I go to far, which Mac? Is there an available firewire port? How much RAM? External (non start-up) hard drive has how much available space? What CPU?
According to the exchange rate I found, your £3000 is about US$5,000
I think staying with high definition and dropping the standard def cams is a first step to cutting the list. That means dropping the Sony DCR-VX2100, Canon XL2 and Panasonic AG-DVC7.
You said you want the camcorder to be "light weight so that i can maneuver around in a busy club". I don't think the Panavision HD-900F meets that criteria. (It is not a Panasonic.) It is a fairly large and heavy shoulder mount - preferably tripod mount - cam.
I don't know what a Canon CHA1 is. The XLH series is good, but outside your budget.
Sony XDCAM is a family of camcorders, including six different PDW series camcorders and the PMW-EX3. The PMW-EX1 used to be part of that family - it is discontinued. I believe the EX3 is well outside your stated budget. Drop it and the XDCAMS from your list. I think the HVR-Z7 is outside your budget.
The Panasonic HMC150 HD is flash memory based and records to AVCHD compressed video. Drop it from the list.
The Panasonic PV-DV53 is a consumer camcorder that dates back to 2004. Drop it from the list.
The Panasonic DMC-GH1 is a Lumix-brand DSLR that takes HD video and has a stereo mic input. No tape. Drop it from the list.
We are now at:
Sony HDR-FX1000
Sony HVR-Z5
Canon XHA1
JVC GY-HM100
Now you have a manageable list.
The FX1000 is a "prosumer". All the stuff the Z1 and Z5 have - except: no XLR audio in (uses 1/8" - 3.5mm stereo audio jack. You *could* add XLR jacks by getting a XLR adapter like those from juicedLink (CX231) or BeachTek (DXA-6). There are other differences, but this is the most obvious. Or just don't bother and jump to the Z5.
The Sony HVR-Z5, Canon XHA1, and JVC GY-HM100 are all fine pro-grade camcorders. All have XLR inputs for good, pro-grade mics. All can be used with FinalCut and Premiere if they are relatively current versions and your Mac's hardware can deal with HDV format video.
lowlight performance
by Jersey CI Girl - 11/2/09 4:38 PM In reply to: Thank you for by boya84hay thanks soz that list was in a bit of a panic i have done much more research since then mainly looking at the difference between 3ccd and cmos.
the mac i currently have is a macpro 17'' 2.8GHz intel core 2 Duo, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card. i am currently looking at what is a better deal a mac pro or an imac as a static machine to take the brunt of the editing the laptop was only ment for work on the go.
Been looking at the JVC GY-HM 100U
it says its not the best in lowlight but clips i have seen show its ok but i have found none of it used in a club environment which is annoying as its the perfect size and spec for the job. but i want to see what it does before i buy.
Canon HV40
looks pretty good for a consumer/prosumer cam still not to sure havent spoke to anyone whos used one yet
i think what iv boiled down to is that i love my pro cams the PD170 i used to borrow was awesome but i have to think logically. For the price of one pro cam i could get a couple of consumer cams for specific jobs and have many camera angles at once. Also in a club environment even the smaller pros will probably be to big i cant get into the crowd with them. i think a decent pro will be a latter investment but thank-you for shortening my list i did realize after looking at it that i had but down in panic a load i had already crossed off. In reality i need good audio for interviews which i think the JVC will provide due to the two channel xlr inputs and good low light performance which i think the canon does better. please if there is one camera out there that does both and is small i would give my left leg.
As you know what you are on about i wonder if you have any info on the two above and a recommendation for mic, headphone and tripod. i have been recommended already to get a 3 level fluid head tripod and a 'road (spelt wrong i know) mic'. any other info you can give?
Thanks for all and any info
I guess I need some more clarifications...
by boya84 - 11/2/09 7:20 PM In reply to: lowlight performance by Jersey CI Girland I hope to provide some, too.
First... what you said:
"macpro 17'' 2.8GHz intel core 2 Duo, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M"
A MacPro is a tower - so no 17" measurement. That sounds like an iMac.
"Better" (mac pro or an imac) depends on your requirements and budget. The current crop or iMacs can import HDV at real time (or better than real time - when I get to doing other stuff while importing, it may get a few % points behind real-time - then catch up. The current MacPro will do the same, the advantage for the tower will be render time whether titles, effects, DVD or computer readable video files.
The current crop of MacBook Pro laptops will also do real-time importing - and will have the same advantages of an iMac and the tower will still have the same advantages for rendering.
I have not used a JVC GY-HM100. Its specs look good - but that is all I know. It is not tape based, so expect all the same archive issues as with other flash memory or hard disc drive - but at least it does not use anemic AVCHD.
Check the lens filter diameter and imaging chip size. The single CMOS Canon HV40 is a fine consumer-grade camcorder. But it IS a consumer grade camcorder. 43mm lens filter diameter, small imaging chip. Compare that to the 72mm lens filter diameter and 1/3" imaging chips of the prosumer/pro cams. Bigger is WAY better and needed for capturing well in low-light environments. With most of the controls accessed via menu (not on the outsidide of the camcorder) and the small lens and imaging chip and the 1/8" (3.5mm) audio-in jack, the HV40 is purely a consumer cam and nowhere near prosumer (like the Sony HDR-FX7).
Mics:
What is your budget?
RODE makes good stuff. I like Shure, Audio Technica, AKG and Sennheiser better.
Headphones:
Sony "Professional" full muff are common.
Tripod and head:
Bogen Manfrotto... but it sounds like you are heading down a path there...
research update
by Jersey CI Girl - 11/14/09 6:40 PM In reply to: I guess I need some more clarifications... by boya84hay oops soz i ment i have a macbook pro and those are its specs. Looking to invest in macpro tower for the upgrading capability's new imacs look great but need something i can almost future proof. i know nothing will ever be future proof but i figure the tower can be upgraded as the parts do. only thing on imac that can be upgraded really is the graphics and memory. only have the money once for a long time so figure i can save in the long run wiv a macpro tower. what do you think of my reasoning? am i on the right track?
As for cameras delved into this research at a slightly obsessive rate, need to stop lol.
Realized finally never gona get everything i want in one so i need two.
At the moment biggest issue is filming for my promo's in nightclubs think i have decided on a DSLR canon 7D. Haven't found any footage yet of it used in a full on nightclub with all the lights and lasers yet if you find one by chance please tell me. I understand its DSLR and not a video camera so i know my limitations especially with audio. but from what i have found out i think this could give me the best image and clarity in this environment. Your opinion on this would be gratefully received especially if you know of a vidcam that could do better.
Actual vidcam if i can afford it aswell i think i might go for the JVC due to the specs for its size mainly. unless someone else comes out wiv a better spec in that size range before i spend. This kit will be used for doc work and we all know for this work size is a real issue. Not to stresses about the tapes issue anymore as i think have the patience to make an archive, this theory as yet has to be tested. lol
Thanks for all your info it really has helped me clarify my search.
any new ifo you know on the JVC would defiantly love to know.
I am not aware of any "technology" that is future proof.
by boya84 - 11/15/09 11:02 AM In reply to: research update by Jersey CI GirlYour MacBook Pro can deal with current high definition formats. When those change, we'll need to understand the computing power required to deal with the new stuff. At this point, I see "ultra high definition" (Red One and Scarlet and Silicon Imaging - among others) and 3D rendering requirements. If you don't see yourself going there any time soon, then your MacBook Pro is good for now. The biggest difference I see is that a tower will be a bit faster rendering while editing and exporting to video files or burning a DVD. But "future proofing"? Nope - I don't see it. Consider adding an external monitor to that MacBook Pro. Yu can re-use the monitor on a computer later. You will also want external hard disc drives to store the video project files. These can also be re-used with another computer, later.
Canon 7D is a good rig - but may mean carrying an audio field recorder (Zoom H4, M-Audio, Edirol, Fostex, Tascam, Sony and others).
http://vimeo.com/7369075
http://vimeo.com/7361969
http://vimeo.com/7138374
For the short and mid-term, I'll be sticking with my FX1.
Which JVC interests you? I don't know much about them, but the only ones that would make my short list are in the GY-HM series or GY-HD series...
I don't understand your comment about "Not to stresses about the tapes issue anymore as i think have the patience to make an archive, this theory as yet has to be tested"... if you don't use digital tape, how are you planning to archive the video you capture?
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